February 21, 2011 – Guildford, UK – Kewill (LSE: KWL), a leading provider of solutions that simplify global trade and logistics, today announced it is live with the Import Control System (ICS) in both France and the Czech Republic, is exchanging real-time data on behalf of its customers with local Customs authorities, and is ready to do the same for the UK and Poland. This follows its January announcement that ICS connectivity for Germany and Austria had been successfully achieved and operationally deployed.
The company continues to leverage its extensive Customs experience and network of European partners in order to meet the individual ICS requirements of each local Customs authority, and is working quickly towards achieving connectivity for all remaining European countries through its suite of electronic Customs software solutions; CustomsXchange, Zabis and Air Cargo Pool.
ICS is a mandatory electronic Customs procedure, designed to improve security by providing advance visibility of shipments into Europe. It replaces an existing paper-based process and requires detailed information on goods to be submitted electronically, prior to arrival within the European Community, in order to facilitate near real-time risk analysis by local Customs authorities.
Pan-European ICS connectivity will significantly reduce the burden of managing this complex process for Kewill’s customers, who include a number of high-profile global air cargo providers handling thousands of shipments made across the Community each day, and for whom ICS compliance is both crucial and time-critical.
Jacquie Boast, Chief Operating Officer for EMEA at Kewill, commented “We are thrilled to be able to report this significant further progress in our ICS roll-out programme across Europe, with the addition of France, Czech Republic and shortly the UK and Poland to our roster of live countries. ICS has presented a major challenge for all involved, with each individual country having issued separate specifications. Kewill’s own Customs domain experts and existing network of local software solutions place us in an ideal position to streamline this complicated compliance scenario for global logistics providers.”
About Kewill plc:
Kewill delivers solutions that simplify global trade and logistics.
Global businesses face ever increasing complexity across their supply chains including decisions on sourcing, customs, compliance, transportation, storage, finance, visibility and connectivity. Inefficiency in any of these areas will lead to supply chain delays and result in increased costs. Kewill has a suite of software solutions that significantly simplify the management of the most complex global supply chains for enterprises and logistics service providers.
With experience in global trade management and logistics since 1972, and over 600 employees worldwide, Kewill is a long-time innovator of solutions for manufacturers, distributors, retailers, freight forwarders, transport companies, customs brokers, 3PL’s and 4PL’s, as well as other related institutions involved in financing and underwriting global trade such as banks and insurance providers.
Kewill’s solutions are in daily use by more than 40,000 users worldwide and our global customer base which entrusts us with the management of their supply networks includes divisions of Bayer, Caterpillar, DHL, FedEx, Ford, General Electric, General Motors, H.J. Heinz, Kimberly-Clark, Kraft, Levi Strauss, Mazda, Nestlé, Nike, Palm, Procter & Gamble, Smith & Nephew, Sony, TNT, Unilever, UPS, Vodafone, Yamaha, Xerox.
www.kewill.com